Venues: Downtown/Esplanade Outdoor Theatre/The Padang, Singapore
Date: 20th September 2019
Promoter: Singapore GP Pte Ltd
Review by: Nate Eileen Tjoeng
Special Thanks: The Singapore GP Pte Ltd Team
Photos by Lee Jia Wen: Gym and Swim | Wolfgang Flür | Swedish House Mafia
The whole of Singapore geared up their engines once again for the 12th installment of the Singapore Grand Prix. With Singapore’s puny land measurements, an event of such gargantuan magnitude affects everybody – even if you don’t attend the race.
Speaking about grandeur, SGP once again had managed to score juggernauts for the entertainment line-up. Tickets flew out like hot cakes even to those who don’t give two hoots to the real action on the race tracks at the minute the Red Hot Chili Peppers were announced. Despite the fact that Muse had trodden on local ground quite a few times already, people still couldn’t resist a Hysteria-cal party. Making sure to not to let electronic music lovers down, SGP had to match up to the likes of Chainsmokers and Martin Garrix.
They ended up securing Swedish House Mafia, which turned out to be a special moment for both the band and the audience, as it was their first Asian show since their reunion tour in 2018. Their five-year hiatus seemed nothing as they have continued to secure spots on DJs’ playlists on the dance floor. Thus, their return was much anticipated and people in Singapore were thrilled to have the honour of being part of that ‘comeback’ gig for SGP.
The Friday air wasn’t as dense with people, thankfully, as it was expected that majority of ticket holders wanted to catch the other acts on Saturday and Sunday. That left a little more room to breathe, seeing that the haze was challenging for respiration. Ticket-goers were undeterred with the bad air quality and many still made it for the night’s events. Mostly for Swedish House Mafia, but that didn’t stop early-goers from enjoying the rest of the acts lined-up that day.
Roving acts such as The Bubble Pirate and Bloco Singapura jostled the crowd from as early as 4.30pm. Darker Than Wax put Daryl Knows up on the decks at Waterside to get the groove flowing. Local singer-songwriter Glen Wee took the stage at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre around dusk to echo the gamut of earthy, folk-pop to old-school funk and R&B.
Next on the same stage was an act from Bangkok, who calls themselves Gym and Swim. Looking like regular university students who decided to jam after school, the boys were modestly decked in t-shirt and jeans. Sitting at the back end of the stage was their ‘little drummer girl’, whose stature can’t be compared to the tenacious rhythms she drove out on her instrument. The 5-piece band brought the audience to a realm of psychedelic Thai-pop. Gym and Swim may seem to have been the band that woke you up playing in your backyard, but they have ‘gymmed and swum’ across several countries. That includes Clockenflap 2017, Wake Up Festival 2018 and had the Seasick Tour in Japan 2016, Taiwan 2017 and Korea 2018.
While many were chilling out to them, another group of people were head-thumping at the Downtown Stage. EMONIGHTSG had warned in their profile that they aren’t your regular DJs. They have something very different on their playlist, that tickles the fancy of punk rock kids (no matter your age, punk rock always makes you an adolescent). Crowds of actual kids and those young at heart let loose in front of the three-person crew, who came dressed in overalls and ready to rock out with their crowd. Anthems from Yellowcard, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, and Panic at the Disco sent the crowd wild.
No one could disperse from the Downtown Stage as next up was Wolfgang Flür, the ex-member of electronic music fathers Kraftwerk. Flür’s set retained a completely different demographic though, one that was at least two if not three times the ages of the party kids that were present for EMONIGHTSG. It might have felt a little peculiar shaking to a 72-year-old DJ, but there was no reason not to. His beats were sick, and I dare say sicker than Kraftwerk’s. The drum-influenced producer ensured that his tracks were born of hard-edge techno with related electronica, making them perfect for the dance floor. Even though he wasn’t the best at beatmatching and transitioning tracks, the rhythms dominated the floor and people’s feet. He made a disclaimer when interviewed at Campfire in London, “I am not a DJ. I play music I like, and I hope you like it too.” Against the backdrop of videos with Flür himself matching in iconic cities such as Paris and Berlin, and machine work in callisthenic exercise, the atmosphere became intoxicating.
The schedule packed to the minute and next was the headliner – Swedish House Mafia. Hordes had congregated in front of the Padang stage. People trickled in to fill up the fan zone while those who preferred personal space camped outside where they could still savour from afar.
The superdance music trio – Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Steve Angello appeared, on elevated decks and their silhouettes were clearly seen from a distance. Cameras panned to each of them up-close, revealing Steve Angello’s signature mask, that’s reminiscent of Slipknot’s. The trio started with hardstyle beats, which led on to smash hits such as “Calling (Lose My Mind)”, “Dream Bigger”, and “Greyhound”. On the playlist was a combination of the trio’s productions, their solo projects, and ones from the Ingrosso duo. To appease the crowd they most definitely had to lay out “Don’t You Worry Child” and “One (Your Name)”, which they are most renowned for.
Having an outdoor stage (with budget), allows for pyrotechnics and the trio used that to create a wholesome atmosphere for the masses that were dancing their night away like there wasn’t another exhaustive two days ahead.